Iannone: “Interesting to see how much we have improved”

Fresh off the best ride of his MotoGP™ career, Andrea Iannone is eager to return to battle at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix.

The new in 2015 Ducati GP15 debuted in Sepang earlier in the year and has steadily developed throughout, becoming a top five bike in the process. Andrea Iannone showed just what the GP15 is capable of in the Australian GP, clashing with the best riders in the world and securing third in the process. With almost an entire season of racing and development, the Ducati Team are eager to see how the GP15 has advanced since its debut in Sepang during winter testing. Iannone is keen to use the upcoming Malaysian GP as a gauge not only for the bike’s improvement, but also his own. Many feel the Italian has been one of the biggest surprises of 2015.

After the stellar battle and result of Phillip Island, Iannone is certain he and Ducati can achieve great things in Malaysia despite the high temperatures of the track. One of Iannone’s biggest advantages in the Australian GP was the incredible top end speed of his GP15, a factor that will help in Sepang with the circuit’s two long straights. The high temperatures not only make track conditions difficult, many riders feel the circuit is much ‘greasier’ now than during testing, but are also an extreme test of rider fitness. To date Iannone has only a single podium finish in Malaysia, when he was third in the 2010 Moto2™ race, he is yet to complete the Malaysian GP while racing in the premier class.

Andrea Iannone: “The GP15 made a positive debut on this track in February and it will be interesting to see how much we have improved throughout the year, and so I am happy to return to Sepang for the race. After the race at Phillip Island, we are even more confident, and we go to Sepang convinced that we can also do well there, even though it will not be easy because Sepang is a difficult track, temperatures are very high and we know that the other riders also go well here. However we are improving all the time and I too am getting to know my GP15 and its behaviour even better, so I can be even more efficient in the race.”